Stock market closing: Sensex inches up over 1,200 points, Shri Ram Finance rallies over 9% during the day

Sensex and Nifty indices increased significantly during the day to close in greens. While Sensex rose around 1,292.92 points to cross the 81,000 mark and close at 81,332.72, Nifty also rose 1.76% to close the day at 24,834.85 points. NSE's total market capitalization rose to Rs 452.93 lakh crore, and on BSE, it jumped to $5.46 trillion on July 26, 2024.

Shri Ram Finance (up by 9.52%), Cipla (up by 5.76%), Divis Labs (up by 5.39%), Bharti Airtel (up by 4.32%) and Apollo Hospitals (up by 4.14%) were amongst the leading gainers during the day. On the other hand, ONGC (down by 1.04%), Nestle India (down by 0.11%) and HDFC bank (down by 0.02%) were amongst the leading laggards.

Out of the 2,771 stocks traded during the day, 1,831 saw advances while 855 saw declines. Another 85 remained unchanged. 199 stocks hit their 52-week high price, while 9 stocks hit their yearly lows as well. 163 stocks remained in the upper circuit during the day, while 21 stocks hit the lower circuit.

Most broad market indices inched up gains of over 1% during the trade, except for India VIX, which fell about 2.93%. Nifty50 was up by 1.76%, Next50 was up by 1,65% and Nifty 100, 200 and 500 rose 1,71%, 1.73% and 1.64% respectively. Nifty midcap 50 inched up 2.24%, while midcap 100 grew 1.81% during the day.

Midcap 150 also inched up 1.72%, small cap 50 rose 1.15% and midcap select, total market and microcap rose 2.17%, 1.61% and 1.07% respectively.

As for sectoral indices, metal was the biggest gainer, rising 3.01%. Auto inched up 2.43%, financial services rose 1.16% and IT, media and pharma rose 2.3%, 1.68% and 2.36% respectively. PSU banks were up by 1.66%, realty rose 1.15% and healthcare and consumer durables also inched up 2.73% and 1.5% respectively.

Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd noted that today, the market experienced a significant rally, gaining nearly two percent and reversing the recent negativity. The upbeat tone was evident from the start, with substantial buying in heavyweights across various sectors further driving the momentum. Consequently, both the Nifty and Sensex closed near their highs at 24,834 and 81,332, respectively.

"This surge was fueled by improved sentiment following robust performances in IT and Metal stocks, as well as significant rollovers to the August series. Broader indices also reflected this strength, showing substantial gains. The current trend suggests that bulls are in control, and we are likely to see further advances in the coming sessions. However, it is advised to remain selective, focusing on index majors and large midcaps", he continued.